Despite being deemed an abomination by many, Lil Wayne’s Rebirth still managed to result in a success sales-wise, achieving gold status even withstanding Amazon’s early leak. Some call it consumer confidence while others refer to it as blind support for an otherwise obvious attempt to squeeze every dime out of the public’s pockets. Whatever the actual answer is, the interest in his music hasn’t dwindled, even if it is just to say “it’s wack” or “he needs to rap like (insert era) again.” Read the rest of this entry »

And the award for the most befitting tune this Memorial Day weekend goes to… Read the rest of this entry »

Although it lacks the fiery passion that made “Successful” such an instantaneous classic, Drake and Weezy F. ride the lightning with flurries of clever quips (“Drake just stands for do right and kill everything”/”Turn you into a vegetable like you lying in soup”) that keep all the fans and haters checking in, regardless of the insane popularity. Read the rest of this entry »

Simply put, Thank Me Later has too many guest appearances. The people paid their money to hear Drake, not Sgt. Drizzy’s Lonely Hearts Club. It’s overly calculated, pieces of plastic like this that continue to strip the art from every industry album as the game keeps reforming. Read the rest of this entry »

Everyone has pride, just like everyone has a breaking point. And at some time, everyone is going to hear all the criticisms placed upon them. To their face and behind their back.

In the world of Hip-Hop, those criticisms are magnified, especially in current times. For artists like Eminem, Jay-Z and OutKast, their legend was stamped long before the Internet rose to power. While it is a gift and a curse, “newer” artists do not necessarily have that luxury. They travel the road to hopeful Hip-Hop hierarchy with the World Wide Web documenting their every step and misstep. Aubrey Drake Graham is a perfect example. Read the rest of this entry »

As President of the TSS Cory Gunz Fan Club (Population: one), I have to say that this is a good day. It’s been confirmed that Cory is now a member of Young Money. Of course, this doesn’t automatically spell success, but I’m more inclined to hope believe that he’s going to be more Drake and Nicki Minaj than Jae Millz. He is, after all, the same guy that obliterated the “A Millie” beat. His rapid-fire flow is perfect for the Southern demographic that YM already has in a vice grip. It’s time to dust off the old “Team Cory” memorabilia and renew hope for one of the most talented rappers I’ve had the pleasure of listening to. Read the rest of this entry »

Drake is looking for love. And the rest of us are looking for a reason to like this song. Now, there’s a video to accompany the Kanye-produced “Find Your Love” from Drake’s upcoming Thank Me Later debut. In the clip, Drizzy channels his days as Jimmy to show off his acting chops in a video that’s as over-dramatic as Gossip Girl. Read the rest of this entry »

Remember reading Old Man And The Sea, right? Remember how the sea was a metaphor for the man’s journey and aging? So, though it seemed like just a book about a man on a boat, it was so much deeper. Clearly Christina Aguilera and Nicki Minaj are channeling Hemingway by making a song with such ripe allegory.

Lean in. Closer. Read the rest of this entry »

“When my album drop, b@tches will buy it for the picture…”

My dear old mum is a wise lady. As a young child, she gave me a nugget of wisdom that I’ve carried with me for years since. As I was making fun of Mother Thompson’s natty hair in church one Sunday, my usually docile mother pinched the fire out of a young Gotty’s™ arm and told me if I didn’t have anything nice to say then I shouldn’t say anything at all. And she also promised me a “d#mn whipping” after church but that’s beside the fact here. Read the rest of this entry »

Drizz Lightyear sat down with MTV (for what, like the fiftenth Monday in a row?) earlier on in the week and basically broke down what we already knew. Mixtapes have become more than just a generic way of staying musically revelvant. It can breed careers. (Or mega-careers like it did with So Far Gone.) The interesting thing about this particular interview is that its sum parts offer more pieces of discussion than it did at the top of the week. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ll keep it one hunnit. Thank Me Later has no buzz. I’m willing to go as far and bet most fans going to these concerts don’t even know the name of the album. But that’s not going to stop The Great Drizzle from spreading love the Young Money way with the power of song. Read the rest of this entry »

Full update later but for now I wanted to post a few pics from Drake’s performance Friday @ Vanderbilt’s Rites of Passage festival. The good folks over there handling press access are always professional & completely accommodating so I was able to snag a handful of good shots (click here to see more of those). It’s always a pleasure to be close to the stage without having to elbow your way through the ruckus or getting trampled in the process, all for the sake of taking pictures for a crummy website. The only catch was that we weren’t allowed to capture video for some of the performers, which was a bummer but dah well. Read the rest of this entry »